Oxpho-Blue Rescue

10/22 · Mar 8, 2012

Hearsedriver said:
Yeah. Its a sulphur/rotten egg type of smell.

You get much less of the COLD BLUE odor with Oxpho. I used all of the mentioned in paste, or liquid form...heated and none and Oxpho has the least smell, the toughest finish, the easiest to apply, but the lightest blue. More of a gray-blue finish on most steels.

DWalt · Mar 8, 2012

The common factors in all these formulations are copper and selenium compounds. The other ingredients may or may not make some difference in appearance depending upon the alloy. The main thing to remember is that the surface to which it is applied may appear blue, but it is not nearly as durable as a hot oxide blue or a rust blue finish. That's why these products are advertised as being intended for touch-up use in areas of wear, for which they are perfectly suitable, as they can be easily re-applied as necessary. Not that one can't use liquid bluing for an entire gun, but you can't expect it to last forever. But it's much cheaper than a hot blue job.

wiley · Mar 12, 2012

Hot blues are labor intensive and a bit hazardous, but not that expensive. I made a pan from mild steel and got the lye and nitrates from a drug store. Stovetop heat source. Still have the scars from that lye!
These days, Brownells and others sell bluing salts, tanks, and all the polishing gear.

Hondo44 · Mar 12, 2012

Dosgatos said:
One of the first top-breaks I bought was a .32 DA from 1893. All numbers matched, but the finish was about 10% with quite a bit of pitting. For $75 I figured I couldn't go wrong: if nothing else, it could be a parts donor.

Doing some reading about refinishing blue guns I came across a number of articles praising Brownell's Oxpho-Blue. I decided to buy some and give it a try, and the old .32 figured to be the perfect experiment. I cleaned the gun of oil residue, lightly buffed the metal with 0000 steel wool, and worked in the Oxpho-Blue with cotton balls. Again lightly buffed the metal with 0000 steel wool and worked in a second coat. By this time the gun was a nice even flat blue/black. I was particularly surprised by the trigger guard, which appeared to bare metal. The Oxpho brought out some bluing that I didn't know was there! I gave the gun a final (gentle) polish with steel wool, followed by a clean cloth, and a coat of Renaissance Wax.

While certainly not a high-gloss factory finish, the gun turned out much better than what it originally looked like. I've read that continuing to apply more coats will darken the finish further. My understanding about Oxpho is that it comes out best over existing worn blue, and it certainly looks best on the few spots of original blue on this gun. I have several worn shooters that I'm going to try this on.[

The higher the metal polish the glossier the blue. If you know how to buff with a power buffer and not ruin the lines and contours the Oxpho blue CREME will give you a bright like new Smith pre war finish. After using 2000 grit paper, use a soft buffing wheel with red rough for final polish. I use at least 3 coats for a deep shiny blue.
Notice the cylinder, grip frame and ejector rod hsg on this Ruger after a year of use. Ignore the glare spots from poor lighting.

DWalt · Mar 13, 2012

Hot bluing is fine if you are in the business of bluing. You do need a metal (NOT Aluminum) bluing tank big enough to hold the parts you are bluing, a way to heat the solution (gas is best), and have narrow control over its temperature. Too hot or not hot enough won't work. You also need to have the metal to be blued scrupulously clean (in addition to having a good polish) to avoid streaking. Doing all this properly is not so cheap for a one-shot deal. Don't try doing this in on your kitchen stove or it will be even more expensive.

There are formulas available for making up home-made bluing solutions, but I wouldn't bother. If you're serious, get the bluing chemicals you need from Brownell's as their products work. They are not cheap either.

While all of this can be done by a garage gunsmith, it's just not worth the expense and effort for one or two guns.

WillD · Sep 24, 2014

I just got through applying Oxpho-Blue to a bare Bisley grip frame for my Ruger convertible. I applied four or five coats with buffing and drying between coats and it looks good to me.

I gave it a good coat of Kroil and it's hanging above my bench. I intend to put a coat of wax on it before reassembling it.

Can anyone tell me if there is and what the period of time is to wait before handling after Oxpho-Blue?

TIA, Will

Sorry I entered through an interent search for Oxpho-Blue and posted in S&W Antigues which my Ruger certainly is not. Please redirect if needed.

DWalt · Sep 24, 2014

I don't think there is any particular minimum time required prior to handling after O-P-B application (or any other of the touch-up bluing compounds).

Oxpho-Blue Rescue

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